Gradually, the water became shallower. My feet touched some sharp rocks. I tiptoed over them until I found a more comfortable footing. Then I walked to a small ledge directly in front of the tunnel.
"Stop." Beverly said.
My hand froze inches from the ledge. "What's wrong?"
She lifted her beam. I saw small creatures crawling all over the ledge.
"Scorpions." I exhaled a long breath. "Thousands of them."
Chapter 91
"Yes, I recognize a few of them." Tum frowned. "They're mostly from the
Centruroides
genus. And pretty much all of them are highly venomous."
Emily winced. "Are you sure?"
"I run into scorpions all the time in the jungle. You don't last long unless you know which species can kill you."
Beverly pointed her beam into the cenote. "How do they do in water?"
"They usually stay away from it, except for the occasional drink," he replied. "But they can hold their breath for up to six days if necessary."
"So, they could be crawling around our feet?"
"Possibly."
"I kind of wish you hadn't told me that."
"Well, we've got to go through them." Graham aimed his beam at the surrounding walls. "Has anyone got any bright ideas?"
Bright ideas.
I snapped to attention. "Do you have your lighter?"
Graham pulled a lighter from his pocket. He opened the top and flicked the wheel. "I forgot about it. Hopefully, the water didn't …" His voice trailed off as a small flame shot out of the nozzle.
I took the lighter from him. Then I rooted around in my satchel and produced one of my digging rags.
"What are you doing?" Dr. Wu asked.
I flicked the lighter's wheel. Flame shot forth, lighting the rag. I waited for it to gain some strength. Then I tossed it onto the ledge. The scorpions panicked. They thrashed about, running into each other. A few writhed on the ground. I felt a little bit of pity for them.
But not much.
"Wow." Graham's eyes opened wide. "I remember hearing scorpions would sting themselves to death in the face of fire. But I've never actually seen it happen."
"They're not stinging themselves," I said. "They're just trying to sting anything around them. And even if they did sting themselves, it probably wouldn't matter. I imagine they're immune to their own venom."
The writhing scorpions quickly succumbed to the heat. As the rest of them scurried away into the darkness, I pulled myself out of the cenote. I donned my socks and boots and returned my gun to its holster. Then I helped the others out of the water.
Tum was the last to emerge. His facial expression was dark as he looked at the dead scorpions. "You know, the Popol Vuh mentions scorpions. They're part of the Xibalba story."
I turned toward the tunnel. At the end, I saw another stone staircase leading into the earth. "How so?"
"From what I remember, a series of obstacles blocked the path to Xibalba. One of those obstacles was a river full of scorpions."
Slowly, I turned to face him.
"Obviously, the river of scorpions had a basis in reality. And that means we might not only be heading toward an exit." Tum arched an eyebrow. "We might be heading toward the death gods as well."
Chapter 92
In the last hour, Tum's entire world had seemingly fallen apart. One of his closest friends had been murdered. His other two closest friends had killed her. And to top it off, Rigoberta was dead as well. And yet, he felt strangely detached from it all. The only thing that mattered at that moment was the Library of the Mayas.
Originally, he'd been interested in the library for rather mundane reasons. He'd seen it as a way to learn more about his ancient ancestors as well as improve his craft as a shaman. But now, he had a different reason for wanting the library. He believed Chaac wished him to find it. Clearly, the library was at the center of the mystery surrounding the missing fifth world of creation.
Emily slipped on a wet rock. She lost her balance. But at the last second, Tum grasped her wrist and she managed to steady herself. "Thanks," she said softly.
Tum saw uncertainty in her eyes. "Take your time. We're not in a rush."
She nodded. As she continued to walk through the tunnel, he felt the blocks of semtex and blasting caps in his pockets. He'd taken them while Beverly had been working. He didn't know what he intended to do with them. But he had a feeling they'd come in handy.
Tum looked around as he ventured deeper into the tunnel. He enjoyed nature on a very personal level. But something about the cave in which he stood made him uneasy. He sensed an evil vibe running through the limestone. It was disturbingly powerful, challenging even one of Chaac's mighty rainstorms.
As he strode forward, he tried to distract himself by focusing his attention on Hunahpu's masterpiece. The architect's ingenuity and resourcefulness astonished him. By itself, the pyramid was an impressive achievement. But the artificial marsh and massive hallway of Maya deities had been truly remarkable.
Over the years, he'd accompanied Miranda to every known Maya site in the southern lowlands. He'd seen the finest pyramids, observed the most intricate steles. But Hunahpu's creation dwarfed them all.
He wasn't a professional archaeologist, but he knew Xibalba was a veritable treasure trove. Scholars could spend years studying every square foot of the crater along with the content contained within the Library of the Mayas. Evolutionary biologists could discover dozens, if not hundreds, of new species. Anthropologists and folklorists could study those new species and compare them to Camazotz and other legendary creatures described in ancient Maya texts.
He reached a steep staircase and slowly descended it. The strange vibe strengthened. His uneasiness grew. He still didn't know what Chaac and the other Maya gods wanted him to do. But he was starting to think Xibalba itself might be the problem. Maybe its very existence was somehow blocking the fifth world of creation.
Maybe, just maybe, it needed to be destroyed.
Chapter 93
"Wow." Votan pulled to a stop. "That's a lot of rock."
A giant pile of dirt and rubble lay where the pyramid's entrance had once stood. It stretched several feet away from the east wall, forming an impassable boundary.
Dora laughed. "Brilliant observation."
"I thought so."
"I don't get it," she said after a moment. "They trapped themselves with no food or water. And I doubt the air is too fresh in there either."
Votan felt a little chill as he leaned in for a closer look. Not down his spine though. It was an actual chill. "I feel air."
"Oh?"
"Obviously, this place is the real-life basis for the Maya underworld." He kicked the debris. Some pebbles rolled to his feet. "There might be some caves or tunnels beneath us. They could lead to the surface."
Dora probed the rubble. "It's packed tight. We'll need explosives to get through here."
"That won't work." Votan pointed at the blocks above the rubble. "More rock will just come crashing down. We need to shore things up first. Then we can carve out a passage."
"By the time we do that, they'll be long gone. They might even take the library with them."
Votan nodded slowly. "Follow me."
He climbed out of the basin and walked east into the jungle, following the hoses used to drain the marsh. After a few minutes, he reached the ancient wall. "Remember that passage from the gold plate? The one we didn't share with the others?"
She nodded.
"Well, it mentioned a hidden river. This must be that river."
She arched an eyebrow. "Do you really think it leads to Xibalba?"
"The plate said it did."
"It seems like a long shot."
"Not necessarily. If underground tunnels exist, the river probably carved them out. Plus, it can't be a coincidence that Hunahpu blocked it off." Votan paused. "Does the helicopter have watercraft?"
"It's got a few inflatable rafts in case of a water landing." Dora scrunched up her brow. "But wasn't there some kind of warning etched on the plate? I can't remember the exact words, but it said something about the river leading to total destruction."
Votan gave her a superior smile. "You don't really believe that, do you?"
"Well, no …"
"Good." His smile faded. His eyes turned cold. "Let's get the rafts. It's time to find the library."
Chapter 94
"When'd it get so dark?" Graham said. "I can't even see my boots."
I swept my flashlight in an arc. "It's not just dark. The walls … the floor … even the ceiling … they're all painted black."
"Dark House," Tum whispered.
"What's Dark House?"
"After arriving in Xibalba, Xbalanque and Hunahpu were required to pass through six houses. One of those houses was Dark House."
"How'd they get through it?" Emily asked.
"All I remember is no light could penetrate Dark House. Maybe they had to feel their way through it."
Graham snorted and took a few steps forward. "That's real helpful."
"He's right," I said. "We should be careful. You never know when—"
Graham shouted as his mechanical leg vanished into the ground. He stumbled. His arms flew at his sides like windmills.
Then he toppled forward.
My heart raced. I swung my arm out. Clutched for his hand.
But all I felt was air.
Chapter 95
I threw myself to the ground. "Dutch?"
Several beams flashed. I saw Graham. He'd fallen into a deep pit. Fortunately, his instincts had kicked in and he'd managed to grab a rock outcropping on the way down.
I grasped his wrist.
"Don't let go." Graham's fingers began to uncurl. "Or I swear to God, I'll haunt you until you die."
I wrapped my other hand around his forearm and rose to a crouching position.
His fingers came loose.
He plunged downward and my arms jolted. Stinging sensations shot through my shoulders as I struggled to maintain my grip.
Then I started to slide.
I dug my heels into the ground. But they just slid across the painted rock. Moments later, the tips of my boots passed over the pit. A few small pebbles slid with them and fell into the darkness. I waited for the inevitable sound of rock striking rock.
But all I heard was silence.
The doc grabbed my waist. Tum grasped my shoulders. My momentum slowed.
Beverly darted to the hole. She grabbed Graham's other wrist. She heaved and together, we pulled him to the surface.
Seconds later, we collapsed, breathing heavily. "Don't," I gulped at the air, "do that again."
He nodded.
Emily leaned over the pit and pointed her beam into the darkness. "It's deep," she said. "I can't even see the bottom."
I gave her a wary look. Many hours had passed since her last hallucinatory episode. Now, we were under an enormous amount of stress. Another episode in the near future seemed quite possible.
"I think I saw another one just like it." Beverly picked up her flashlight and pointed it across the cave. "See? It throws off a slightly different shadow than the rest of the floor."
I dusted myself off and picked up my flashlight. "Join your beams to mine. Move them left to right."
The others adjusted their flashlights. Slowly, we shifted the combined beam across the dark cave, illuminating over a dozen pits in the process. "Toward the walls," I said. "Again, left to right."
The combined beam struck the left wall. Slowly, it shifted to the right until it lit up a tunnel in the far right corner. "Beams on the ground," I said. "And follow me."
Walking carefully, I stepped around the pits and led the others toward the tunnel. To my relief, it was unpainted and my beam easily illuminated the walls and ceiling.
I walked into the tunnel. It was long and sloped gently into the ground. After a few footsteps, I heard a rumbling noise. It grew louder and louder until it was almost deafening.
The tunnel twisted around, ending in a small cavern. A wave of cold mist touched my skin. With the help of my beam, I saw a large waterfall. It crashed through a slot in the ceiling and passed through a gap in the floor, striking countless rocks upon the way.
"Cy." Graham cleared his throat. "We've got a problem."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Look around."
I tore my gaze from the frothing waterfall and looked over the rest of the cavern. It was empty. There were no passages or connecting tunnels. There was nothing.
Nothing but a dead end.
Chapter 96
"Rattling House."
I looked at Tum. "Come again?"
"This must be Rattling House," he said. "Listen to the water."
I perked my ears. Indeed, the waterfall made a distinct rattling noise as it pounded against the rocks.
A cold chill came over the cave. I twisted back to the waterfall, eager to keep moving. "What do you remember about it?"
"Rattling House was supposed to be very cold and full of rattling hail."
It wasn't much help. So, I turned to the walls. "Let's look around. Maybe there's a hidden entrance."
Along with the others, I began studying the limestone. But I didn't see any chisel marks or other signs of activity.
"I've got nothing," Graham called out after a few minutes.
"Same here," Dr. Wu added.
"There's one option we haven't considered." Beverly walked to the rushing water. Using her beam, she illuminated the waterfall as it passed through the gap in the floor. "Maybe we're supposed to go down."
"That's crazy," Graham said. "It's too powerful. It would dash us against the rocks below."
"As far as I can tell, it's the only way out of here."
Exhaling loudly, I stuffed my flashlight into my satchel. Then I stepped past Beverly and grabbed one of the rocks jutting out into the cave. Water crashed against my hand. Mist shot into my face.
I steeled my grip. Then I pulled myself toward the waterfall.